A concise, colorful history of the first 120 winners of America's most famous horse race. A short page story accompanies each lovingly done portrait. This lady knows how to draw horses--she doesn't pretty them up, she shows them how they are, beautiful enough without having to add any artificial ingredients. The stories are fascinating if you are a racing fan or like to read biographies of people and animals. The book is relatively inexpensive for art and history of this quality

No other book tells the real story of what the modern slot machine actually is. All modern slots are computers. Other books talk about the Random Number Generator as the "mechanism" by which the slot machine program "picks" the winning events. No other book, however, tells the reader what the RNG actually is, and how it really works, and why this is important. No other book actually shows the inner workings of the modern slot machine, because no other author has been allowed to publish this information. Royer's book is the ONLY book that tells the truth of the reality of the slot machines, including video slots, and how and why they work the way they do, and how to play them to win. This information is EXCLUSIVE to Royer, and to this book.

Royer also shows the reader which are the best slots, and why, as well as how to find them in the actual casino, and how to exploit them for profits. Because of Royer's "insider" knowledge of not just the slots themselves, but also of the casino's slot mix floorplans and marketing strategies, Royer is able to show the reader precisely what to look for in the casinos to find just precisely where the really good slots are, and why they are there. Royer also explains where the "bad" slots are, and why they are placed there. Royer shows the reader how to tell the good from the bad, and how to make this knowledge pay.

No other book on Blackjack tells the real truth of how the game is actually being played in the casinos of the 21st Century. Every other book relies more on the "theory" of Blackjack, rather than on the reality of what the players will actually find in the casinos when they get there and try to play it. All other books look at the game of Blackjack from the "old thinking" perspective, by teaching the game with the methods and strategies that used to work 10-20 years ago, but are all but useless in the real world of today's casinos.

Other books talk about "card counting" as if this was the only and surefire means to winning, but don't tell you how hard it is do actually do it -- IF you can still find a casino that will allow you to do it, and if you can still find a game whose rules and methods of dealing allows this to work to anything more than merely a better guess. Other books talk about Basic Strategy, but then force the reader to learn tables upon tables of modifications for this and that and so on, creating a mess of information that not even experts can easily digest.

Victor H. Royer's book tells the truth of the real game of Blackjack as it actually exists in the casinos where the readers will go to play. He teaches the theory, shows the "traditional" methods, and explains why they work and don't work, and under which conditions. He gives the reader a Modified Basic Strategy, that incorporates all of the various "modifications" and makes an easy-to-learn strategy and hand-decision chart that allows anyone to play Blackjack to as close to an even game as it can get.

Additionally, Royer provides the reader with a clearly defined "session event strategy," a method of playing Blackjack successfully by using the MBS along with a tiered wagering and fractional differential principles for utilizing group-event methodology of blackjack play. For the more adventurous reader, Royer invites them to also read his book Powerful Profits from Winning Strategies for Casino Games.

This is a fascinating book that goes into great detail on cheating methods for many gambling games including slot machines, poker, roulette and craps. There are also discussions of three-card Monte, cheating devices, carnival games, counterfeiting, pool, horse racing, and "miscellaneous schemes and frauds." Protection is rich in visuals, including slot machine schematics and reprints of old news stories about cheating. It's a great reference work!

Money is probably the most important unit in everyone's existence. That is why losing money is not so pleasant experience at all. Gambling is one of those vices which once you have started, it is hard to give up. Furthermore, it is not only the gambler who suffers, but also the people surrounding him. It is apparent that people start gambling in order to win money. But why are they not able to stop? What are the consequences that happen inside their souls during the process of addiction? Such questions cannot be answered on the spur of the moment. That is why, my strong interest towards gambling urged me to do a research on the subject thus penetrating into punters' way of thinking. Fortunately, I found a book entitled "Quit Compulsive Gambling" written by Gordon Moody, who turned out to be steeped in the atmosphere of gambling and its impact ( actually, he is the founder of the national organization for compulsive gamblers called Gamblers Anonymous, which will be presented later in my review).In the book, the author uncovers the disorders that permeate into those who gamble excessively and, at the same time, discloses the impact this terrible "shortcoming" has on their lives and those of their families. Moody also emphasizes the unpleasant fact that nowadays such disorders have made their ways to the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society, whereas in the past it largely existed in mature men. Most of all, it is a book made to provide light in the end of the tunnel for those afflicted by obsessive gambling and to awake those who wish to help them. Throughout the whole book, the author resorts to his personal experience. The beginning shows the audience how to recognize whether there is a gambler in your house. Moody says that almost always punters withdraw into themselves. They change their personality and develop a secret life- "many wives suspect that there is another woman" (16). From there on, problems arise. Thus gamblers' environmental estrangement becomes evident. It is because he has chosen new goals and to achieve them he has to follow new paths. Doing this "he has 'put on', like a coat, a different 'person" (25). The author's manner of expression is faultless. The gambler is gnawed by his own deeds. He is not able to admit his guilt in front of his relatives. He is obsessed by the idea to win back his money. That is why he lies them. In fact, he steals from himself. Actually, the compulsive gambler becomes compulsive liar and compulsive robber. However, every initiative has its end. Mr Moody explains to the reader that pathological gamblers eventually look for help when they reach the bottom: " They suffer an acute crisis- personal rather than financial- which shocks them out of their obsession and forces them to face the truth about themselves" (37). The author again resorts to his own experience. He remembers a man who was on the threshold of committing suicide because of gambling. The person concerned had lost his wife because of his passion. Fortunately, Moody somewhat manages to make him participate in the Gamblers Anonymous meetings. To be honest, at this moment the author introduces very skilfully his own organization GA and its kindred one Gam-Anon because from then on the book is entirely subordinate to the acts of the two cultural and educational activities. The first one has to do with gamblers themselves while the second takes care of gamblers' relatives. The most important thing Moody explains about GA gatherings is that after assiduously attending them, gamblers are refreshed and rejuvenated. They are "new people in a new world. They even look different. Overweight people become slimmer, and overthin people put on weight. Their eyes clear and their expression change" (51). The most important cause for this change in gamblers' lives, the author points out, is related to the fact that all participants in the meetings are from one and the same breed. They are compulsive gamblers. They listen carefully to each other. They are like brothers and sisters. Most of all, gamblers are more apt to reveal their secrets to strangers than to those they know. Everyone benefits from listening to the statements of each other. They are accepted and welcomed not as being gamblers but because of being gamblers. In other words, people enter GA not to lose the ordinary sum of money again, but to win a portion of self-esteem thus urging them to quit gambling. Eventually, Moody proudly promulgates the secret in the meetings of GA: " . . . nothing is condemned and nothing is condoned" ( 56). In other words, members support each other. They resemble one entity which faces the difficulties and try to solve them. " The way to the police station can be a step on the way to recovery and if he goes, Gamblers Anonymous will go with him" (75). This is the proof Moody gives for stressing on the support GA renders to its members. However, the process of recovery is not only connected to abstaining from gambling, but also to regaining the trust of your relatives. To recover trust above all means to heal a wound and it does not happen quickly. It is extremely difficult for both sides. The gambler is impatient, irritable and bad-tempered. It is normal- to change your life is traumatic. On the other hand, the relatives are determined to notice that there is some kind of turnover and to stop interpreting everything through their fears. The path is ominous but glorious. After reading Moody's book, the gambler will find out that it is worth to make an attempt. Another issue that the author raises in his book is that in recent years a considerable number of children start gambling. This time Moody refuses to cite examples from his experience as a founder of GA , but he admits that there really was a small flood of young people participating in the meetings. However, the author discusses mainly the way in which relationships within the family are accepted by a child gambler. The symptoms which tell him on, Moody underscores, are in most cases related t losing weight and changing behavior. " The child's parents notice changes . . . but often put them to adolescence"(110). They cannot believe that their child is involved in such an initiative as gambling. They see that something is going wrong but they have no idea what it might be. Very often parents fear that drugs are the main cause for the child's deterioration. I myself had an unpleasant experience some years ago when I was keen on playing the poker machines. I spent all day in the club. I was lured when during my first play I won a considerable amount of money. However, everything went there where it had come from. One day my mother saw me enter the poker club again and I was severely punished. I was given money only to eat and this made me stop. I thank God that such moment happened too early in my life because otherwise, if I had undertaken it during the years of puberty I think I would have never given it up. Overall, Gordon Moody, through the course of his book, makes the reader feel like compulsive gambler. The author gives a lot of examples, for example the one with the man on the brink of committing suicide. Then expresses the circumstances that have led the victim to begin with the activity called gambling. And eventually, with great honor tells the audience that he somewhat saved a lot of lives by succeeding to cure many people obsessed by compulsive gambling. Having in mind all this said above, you can hardly doubt Moody's credibility. Everything is based upon his personal experience. He is not able to create the huge variety of situations in the book on his own. He finds addicts, he suffers with them, he helps them he lives with their shortcoming and finally it all works. Most of all, this book, as a whole, is not only addressed to compulsive gamblers, but also to every human being who is caught up with the vicissitudes of fortune. People should never surrender, there is always a way of exiting difficult situations. In conclusion, Gordon Moody's book "Quit Compulsive Gambling" views all aspects of compulsive gambling- how to recognize the behaviour of the gambler, what happens when the gambler is broke, how to make people understand that problem gambling is tantamount to an illness. Furthermore, it advises addicts on the obnoxious and perilous consequences this phenomenon can bring to the life of every family.

Works Cited Moody, Gordon. Quit Compulsive Gambling: the action plan for gamblers and their families. Great Britan. Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990 ISBN 0-7225-1601-0 $ 7.95

Professor Pavalko has written an excellent overview for those who know gambling and for those who want to learn about this hidden addiction. From looking at the historic roots to the future, he is able to take a complex issue and put it into an extremely readable format. I had a hard time puting it down before I finished.

Unlike many books in the gambling genre Roulette For the CasualGambler gives solid, hands on kind of advice without the promise of large $$$$ returns.A pleasant surprise in the book were the pages about slots, sports betting, bingo and lotteries. Plus insights on how to approach the casino scene in general.More experienced roulette players will find as I did the roulette charts in the back of the book a great tool for researching roulette based on actual results. (It saved me a lot of time)

If you want to learn all about Baccarat, this is the book to read. No get rich quick system here. You get betting systems that are based on the mathematics of how the game works, and examples based on real play in casinos. There is also stuff on how to enjoy playing at the tables like a pro.

I happened to see this book at my friend's house but didn't finish the book. So, I went home and ordered it online. After finished reading this book, I must tell you that I'd gained a lot more confidence in winning more money. Last week, I went to Las Vegas with my family, and it DID pay off. Not all the tips and secrets in the book applied, yet I managed to win more money than I'd ever done before. Take it from me, I don't like reading much, but I got to admit that this book is pretty easy to read. Better yet, you can just skip to any chapter you're interested in right away.